Knoll presents Bauhaus Exhibition by OMA / Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli

Celebrating the centenary of the Bauhaus, Knoll presents an exhibition curated and designed by OMA / Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli with Domitilla Dardi at the Knoll showroom at Piazza Bertarelli during the Salone del Mobile in Milan.

The Bauhaus, the German school that exerted a unique influence on the modern evolution of design, was founded 100 years ago. The school’s history is intertwined with that of Knoll in various phases, through a figure who is the fulcrum of these connections: Florence Knoll.

The story is told by means of four environment/clusters like theatrical stages, encouraging viewers to participate. Entering the four settings, visitors can have a direct experience of the objects and furnishings that take the leading roles, creating narrative compositions that vary in the experience of each and every participant.

Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli: “This installation is an attempt to give theatrical form to the multiple relations that connect the emblematic histories of the Bauhaus and Knoll. We have imagined true sets in which different objects exist in an ideal domestic scenario  – a meta-interior – offering the visitor the possibility of activating and discovering them. The iconic products by Marcel Breuer, Mies van der Rohe and Florence Knoll are therefore never separated from the modern ideal of everyday functionality, and come to terms with other objects belonging to a wider historical and cultural context.

Since our first collaboration with Knoll we have set out to translate the motto ‘Modern Always’ in a creative way, paying homage, case by case, to the great masters of the 20th century. This year we have focused on the milestones of a relationship that has been decisive for the construction of international modernism. “

Demetrio Apolloni, President of Knoll Europe: “We felt strongly about making this project become a concrete reality precisely during a week of such great importance for international design. It is an exhibition that underscores the strong bond between our company and the Modern Movement.”

Knoll Celebrates Bauhaus will be on view from April 9 to April 19. After this debut, the exhibition will travel to the cities of Paris, London, Tokyo, Seoul and Sydney.

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